Qualcomm exec gets new role after Apple comments

A Qualcomm executive who recently called the processor in Apple’s new iPhone a marketing gimmick has been moved to a new position in the San Diego company.

Chief Marketing Officer Anand Chandrasekher will take on a new role of leading Qualcomm’s “exploration of certain enterprise related initiatives,” the company said Friday in an email response to questions.

The change is effective immediately. Chandrasekher will continue to report to Qualcomm President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Mollenkopf.

Chandrasekher raised eyebrows early this month for comments he made about Apple’s 64-bit A7 processor, which powers the new iPhone 5s. The processor is capable of tapping into more memory when running software and applications.

Apple is the first to use a 64-bit processor in a smartphone, which typically are powered by 32-bit chips.

Asked about the advantage of 64-bit architecture by IDG News Service, Chandrasekher said it had zero benefit, since the iPhone 5s doesn’t have the memory to take advantage of the 64-bit architecture.

But that doesn’t mean devices in the future won’t be able to tap into the 64-bit chip’s prowess, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst with Tirias Research.

“A lot of times the hardware leads the software,” said McGregor. “When you give programmers more memory, they use it. And Apple didn’t necessarily position it only as a smartphone processor.”

Apple hasn’t responded to Chandrasekher’s comments. But they made headlines in the technology trade press in part because Apple is a top Qualcomm customer. The San Diego company supplies radio chips that connect iPhones and iPads to 3G and 4G cellular networks.

Qualcomm also makes Snapdragon processors, which power many of today’s smartphones and tablets. Apple, however, designs its own processors for its devices.

Qualcomm later issued a correction.

“The comments made by Anand Chandrasekher, Qualcomm CMO, about 64-bit computing were inaccurate,” the company said in a statement. “The mobile hardware and software ecosystem is already moving in the direction of 64-bit.”

McGregor, the Tirias Research analyst, said Apple’s A7 processor allows the company to show off how its products are different from other smartphones.

“It was probably not the best thing to say because Apple didn’t even come out and say it was a smartphone processor,” McGregor said. “Apple said it was a desktop class processor. That was the key thing.”

Chandrasekher’s new job could foreshadow Qualcomm’s efforts to bring its own 64-bit processor to market not only for smartphones but also for desktops and computer servers.

Having 64-bit capabilities is considered key for smartphone processor makers to enter the desktop and server market now dominated by Intel.

Before joining Qualcomm about a year ago, Chandrasekher had a long career at Intel spearheading its efforts to break into the smartphone chip market.

“Qualcomm is not officially saying anything about what it’s doing with the enterprise or servers and stuff like that,” said McGregor. “But it may be a better fit for (Chandrasekher). His role has been around startup opportunities. That is what he did at Intel with ultra-mobility.”